Roundworm?

Question

I have 4 cats and 1 puppy, and today I found a dead roundworm on the floor.
How can I know what it came from? Is it safe to treat all of my pets even if they aren't infected? And what is the best product to use that I can buy at the store, and not through a vet, without spending a fortune?

Answer 1

Yes it is safe to treat all of them, because the cats share a litter box so chances are if one has it they all have. And sorry but as for medication from a store. It doesnt work. Honestly it doesnt. I work @ a vet hospital and some many time i see people coming in and spending more money on the cheaper stuff (b/c its not working) then actually coming in and buying some @ the vets. Most Vet's are pretty good and will figure out doses for you to share between all of your animals so that you dont have to bring all of them in ... henses spend a fortune. But please dont waste your money @ a pet store. I guarentee you it will not work. Also just to be sure I would bring a stool sample into your vets and have them test it because it could NOT be roundworm your seeing. Roundworm and Tapeworm are the 2 most common parasites but alot of people get the 2 mixed up. Roundworm looks like spaghetti and tapeworm looks like rice and is usually seen hand in hand with fleas. But you need to know which parasite it actually is so you can test properly.

Answer 2

Roundworms usually don't show up in the stool (or vomit) until they have a pretty heavy infestation. Vets tell if your dog has rounds by looking for the eggs in the stool. They can pick up roundworms from anywhere, really. If your dog plays where other dogs poop (which can be anywhere, especially if there are many strays around) she can pick them up. Even if you don't see the poop, the eggs can remain in the soil for a long time. They can also get roundworms from their mother so if she's a puppy and hasn't been dewormed yet, that's probably where she got them. If she has pooped the roundworm eggs out in your yard, she can become reinfected at a later date so it's important to regularly deworm her OR keep her on a good heartworm prevention like Heartgard of Interceptor which also takes care of roundworms.

Answer 3

There is NO best product to buy at the store. OTC products are ineffective and they are also unsafe to use.They can cause some very serious problems including death. Also you should NEVER just deworm without finding out for sure what type(s) of worms you are dealing with..yes you found a roundworm but that by no means means taht that is the only worm your pets have..likely it isn't..you need to take a stool sample into the vet have a fecal test run and then get appropriate dewormers for your pets...Cheap is cheap for a reason..be a responsible pet owner and get safe correct medications for your pets from the vet.